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Re: Big10 makes Big Mistake (IMO)

This may sound crazy, but if you want the playoff done right you need the NCAA to get involved. As it is now, you have multiple interests (Bowl delegates, Conference Commissioners, AD's, School Presidents, TV Networks, etc...) trying to come to an agreement. The NCAA has little to nothing to do with the actual BCS, but they are the ones who could actually organize and run something fairly equitable (like the NCAA tournament).

Here is my "Shangri-La" proposal that everyone will hate because it destroys all the current conferences (which they are doing anyway...):
Make 4 Regions with two "Conferences" in each region with ten teams each.
North - (Mostly Big Ten/Big East/a few ACC schools)
South - (SEC + ACC-ish)
Central - (Big 10 - Big 12ish- SEC)
West (PAC 10ish/Big 12)

If you need, you can fill in some of the other schools like Notre Dame, the service academies, BYU, etc...

So, that makes 80 teams in these leagues. Then, you play Regional Championships between the two conferences in each region. Next, the South plays the North champs and the West plays the Central champs. The two teams that are left meet.

As for the argument that someone outside those 80 teams could be great, how about this wrinkle? The worst team in the 8 conferences gets relegated to the "Independents" and the best 8 "Independents" come up into the conferences the next season in the region closest to their school.

Too many questions, not enough answers. I think the bigger question is what does this do to Notre Dame? If it forces them to join a conference, the ripple effect is more than what happens to the ACC teams. I also think it affects the Big Ten as the SEC is its primary rival during Bowl season. They're guaranteed two New Years Day Bowls vs SEC teams right now and they are not assured of a PAC 12 matchup in the Rose Bowl anymore.

I think it's pointless to speculate until more happens. There's just too many possibilities. The next big announcement may come in July regarding the playoff system

Re: Big10 makes Big Mistake (IMO)

Originally Posted by Sea Ray

Too many questions, not enough answers. I think the bigger question is what does this do to Notre Dame? If it forces them to join a conference, the ripple effect is more than what happens to the ACC teams. I also think it affects the Big Ten as the SEC is its primary rival during Bowl season. They're guaranteed two New Years Day Bowls vs SEC teams right now and they are not assured of a PAC 12 matchup in the Rose Bowl anymore.

I think it's pointless to speculate until more happens. There's just too many possibilities. The next big announcement may come in July regarding the playoff system

My question is, how does this game fit into the new playoff? It makes me think that there will be direct conference affiliations in the new system, because what would be the purpose of creating this specific bowl game if the new playoff system would render it almost useless. Whatever the playoff format, this game would certainly contain at least on if not two of the potential playoff teams and would be in danger of being rendered meaningless if that (or those) teams were pulled out and put into the playoff. The timing of this is just very strange. It makes me think that people already know what is going to happen.

Re: Big10 makes Big Mistake (IMO)

Originally Posted by improbus

My question is, how does this game fit into the new playoff?

To my understanding, it doesn't. It will simply host the top SEC and Big 12 teams that don't make the playoff, similar to how the Rose Bowl has been handled lately. In that respect, one could ask what's the big deal. But the devil in the details is what's making the college football people take notice.

* It appears that far from being mortal enemies over Texas A&M and Missouri, the two leagues are now joining at the hip. One could presume this is because the SEC needs a strong ally to offset the B1G/Pac pairing and the Big 12 needs a strong ally to ensure survival. Either way, the viability of the Big 12 no longer appears to be in question, at least in the short run.

* It signals a shift in conferences' attitudes toward bowl games. This game is not going to be like the others. The leagues will run it, sell it and keep far more of the money generated from it. The host will merely be the venue. This could become the norm faster than you'd think, especially when the BCS contract expires.

* One could extrapolate (and most analysts are) that the SEC, B1G, Pac and Big 12 are consolidating power, and the yet-to-be-decided terms of the playoff -- who gets to be in it, how the money is split up -- are going to be to their liking. Four team playoff... four major conferences... hmmm. Which is bad news for every other conference, and ACC schools in particular are about to find themselves on the wrong side of the power line. They'll technically have access to the playoff as will other schools, just to deter antitrust concerns, but if they're left in the dust in the future with respect to revenue and bowl tie-ins etc., it will be extremely difficult to build and sustain a championship-level program. So the ACC's football-first schools have to seriously ask themselves if they can afford not to switch conferences given the opportunity.

It makes me think that people already know what is going to happen.

I'd be surprised at this point if they don't, but I'm not an insider so I'm like most people, just reading tea leaves here.

Last edited by IslandRed; 05-19-2012 at 11:46 PM.
Reason: Typo

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Re: Big10 makes Big Mistake (IMO)

Interesting stuff there IslandRed. I think Notre Dame will be a big player in all of this. Up until the Florida State rumors started swirling, I would have thought the Big 12 was the conference that possibly could get squeezed out. The Big East is already irrelevant. I would agree that when the dust settles that there will be 4 power football conferences. And that those conferences will expand to 16 teams. Whatever happens it will be interesting to say the least.

Re: Big10 makes Big Mistake (IMO)

Originally Posted by Assembly Hall

Interesting stuff there IslandRed. I think Notre Dame will be a big player in all of this. Up until the Florida State rumors started swirling, I would have thought the Big 12 was the conference that possibly could get squeezed out. The Big East is already irrelevant. I would agree that when the dust settles that there will be 4 power football conferences. And that those conferences will expand to 16 teams. Whatever happens it will be interesting to say the least.

Notre Dame is the big pillar I'm watching. I would be vehemently against them giving ND a free pass and continue to allow them access to this playoff system while allowing them to bathe in the spoils of an NBC contract all by themselves

Re: Big10 makes Big Mistake (IMO)

Originally Posted by Sea Ray

Notre Dame is the big pillar I'm watching. I would be vehemently against them giving ND a free pass and continue to allow them access to this playoff system while allowing them to bathe in the spoils of an NBC contract all by themselves

I hear ya. I really feel that if we have 4 power conferences in football with 16 teams each, Notre Dame will have no choice but to join one of them. But we shall see.

Re: Big10 makes Big Mistake (IMO)

Originally Posted by Sea Ray

Notre Dame is the big pillar I'm watching. I would be vehemently against them giving ND a free pass and continue to allow them access to this playoff system while allowing them to bathe in the spoils of an NBC contract all by themselves

If they are still an independent, it's tough to see how they fit into a 4 team playoff. They would pretty much have to be undefeated to qualify.

I think that Assembly Hall has a point about ND being forced to join a conference. To further the point, this could be a move by the other conferences to freeze ND out until they join a conference.

The question is which conference would they join? B1G is a natural fit but they could join the Big East in football and make the Big East a player.

Re: Big10 makes Big Mistake (IMO)

If they are still an independent, it's tough to see how they fit into a 4 team playoff. They would pretty much have to be undefeated to qualify.

I think that Assembly Hall has a point about ND being forced to join a conference. To further the point, this could be a move by the other conferences to freeze ND out until they join a conference.

The question is which conference would they join? B1G is a natural fit but they could join the Big East in football and make the Big East a player.

How could they qualify if they're undefeated? Either they're part of the 4 conferences or they're given an exemption like they are now. If they're given an exemption then I don't care what their record is. I'm against it.

Re: Big10 makes Big Mistake (IMO)

Originally Posted by Sea Ray

How could they qualify if they're undefeated? Either they're part of the 4 conferences or they're given an exemption like they are now. If they're given an exemption then I don't care what their record is. I'm against it.

No one knows how this playoff is going to be set up. If they take the top 4 in the BCS poll and ND is ranked 1-4 they go. If they go with champions from the top 4 conferences, ND gets frozen out no matter how good they are.

Re: Big10 makes Big Mistake (IMO)

The Big East is done. The ACC very well might be on the phone with the Irish, I would be. But the idea of power conferences does open up the idea of independents like there were back in the 70's and through the 80's, if a football school was only interested in football. Schools like ND, Fla St., Miami, BYU, and even Texas could mold their own niche.

Re: Big10 makes Big Mistake (IMO)

Originally Posted by Chip R

No one knows how this playoff is going to be set up. If they take the top 4 in the BCS poll and ND is ranked 1-4 they go. If they go with champions from the top 4 conferences, ND gets frozen out no matter how good they are.

If they take the top 4 regardless of conference affiliation then who needs conferences? I thought the whole tone of this thread was that conferences want some power in all of this.

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